The Decorator Pattern is a structural design pattern that allows you to add behavior to individual objects without affecting other instances of the same class. Think of it as a way to wrap an object in “enhancements” without altering its underlying functionality.

How does it Work?

The decorator pattern involves a base component and one or more decorators that wrap the base component and add functionality.

  • Component: The plain interface or object.
  • ConcreteComponent: A specific implementation of the component.
  • Decorator: Wraps a component to add extra behavior.

When should you use it?

The decorator Pattern shines when:

  • You want to add responsibilities to individual objects dynamically and transparently.
  • Subclassing would create an overload of unnecessary classes.
  • You need flexibility and want to combine behaviors at run time.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Flexible and Dynamic: You can mix and match enhancements at runtime.
  • Keeps classes simple: Instead of making complex classes with many features, you can create decorators that add features as needed.

Cons

  • Can become complex with too many layers of decorators.
  • Harder to read an debug if overused.